Mile 916.0 - Miles 916-911: RBD Island No 8

John Ruskey

20 Apr 2026 � 1 min read

916 - 911 RBD Island No 8

Everything about Island No 8 arouses wonder and appreciation. It is the biggest, wildest, and most inspiring island in this stretch of the Lower Mississippi, habitat to big herds of deer, and thriving with wildlife of every sort. It is important habitat for songbirds and waterfowl in their annual migrations, and the back channel is a favorite for fish, amphibians, and bald eagles. From the air Island No. 8 seems to leap upstream like an overgrown walrus humping the Kentucky shoreline. The main channel used to go around the outside of the island, but an excess of sand and gravel accumulated during the floods of 1927 and 1937, and the Army Corps engineers decided to direct the flow down the back channel. Hence the two have reversed roles. As you approach the top of the island in high water the back channel and main channel roll down either side equally, but as the water levels drop a series of tall dikes emerge like castle walls with extensive sandbars below. The best beaches and sandbar camping are found down the back channel. The best highwater camp is top end where the waters split ways, or another high point following the back channel. This beautiful bluff of high sand is approximately two miles down, you will be far from the endless rumblings of the tows, and surrounded by owls, eagles and deer. Other possible highwater camps are strung along the main channel side of the island, but they are limited in size, and subject to the all-night scrutiny of tow spot lights. Below 20CG the best flow over the topmost dike is through the notch in the center of the dike. Go with the strongest currents and avoid scraping submerged rocks on the edges. Barely flowing at 15, some flow at 20CG, good flow at 25CG or higher. In low water miles and miles of pristine sandbar beaches are found topside, with a second giant beach halfway down the backside. The main channel makes an unusual zig-zag jog at the bottom of Island No 8, which makes a challenging turn for tow pilots.

More from this section

Preamble:

Preamble: I first explored this stretch of river on a 5-month raft trip that began after my high school graduation in 1982. My best friend and I decided that we had enough of traditional schooling, and much to the dismay of our guidance counselors we scuttled all college plans and

Table of Contents Appendix I - The Lower Missouri River Water Trail Appendix II - Upper Mississippi River Water Trails Appendix III - Mike Clark: Chain of Rocks Appendix IV - Mike Clark: Alton to Arch Appendix V - Over the Chain of Rocks with the Lewis & Clark Appendix

Mile 57.0 - Interstate 57 Bridge

7.5 Interstate 57 Bridge Vertical Clearance: 107.3 feet minus Cairo Gage. As with all bridges, avoid getting too close to pylons supporting the bridge structure. Water pushes strongly against pylons on top end, and turbulent waters swirl below. 5 - 1.8 LBD Angelo Towhead Angelo Towhead is

Mile 10.2 - 10.2 - 7.7 LBD Boston Bar

10.2 - 7.7 LBD Boston Bar Boston Bar hugs the left bank descending and creates a moody scene, partly due to the massive piles of driftwood that get mashed deep into its woods. Good low and medium campsites are found at the top end of Boston Bar on

Mile 10.2 - 10.2 - 7.7 LBD Boston Chute

10.2 - 7.7 LBD Boston Chute You can enjoy a three mile passage through the bottomland forests lining Boston Chute, but be wary of a cross channel dike at bottom end which causes 3 foot whitewater waves in medium water levels.

Mile 13.0 - LBD Cache River Diversion Canal

13 LBD Cache River Diversion Canal The Cache River used to enter the Ohio River in between Mounds City and Urbandale, both upstream of Cairo, but now it enters the Mississippi 13 miles above Cairo, and about 20 miles from its old mouth. Go figure. Such is the nature of